Mambila language

Mambila
Region Nigeria and Cameroon
Native speakers
 130,000  (1993)[1]
Niger–Congo

  • Atlantic–Congo

    • Benue–Congo
      • Mambiloid
        • Mambila–Konja
          • Mambila–Vute
            • Mambila
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Either:
mzk – Nigerian Mambila
mcu – Camerounian Mambila
Glottolog nige1255  (Nigeria)[2]
came1252  (Cameroon)[3]

Mambila is a Bantoid dialect chain stretching across Nigeria and Cameroon. Notable dialects are Barup, Bang, Dorofi, Gembu, Hainari, Kabri, Mayo Ndaga, Mbamnga, Tamien, Warwar (in Nigeria); Ju Ba, Sunu Torbi (Torbi), Ju Naare (Gembu), Langa (in Cameroun). It goes by numerous names, which, besides the dialectical names, include Bea, Ble, Juli, Lagubi, Nor, Nor Tagbo, Tongbo, and the spellings Mabila, Mambere, Mambilla.

Tep is generally considered a dialect, but though Tep speakers are ethnically Mambila, their speech is not intelligible to other varieties.

Blacksmiths among the Mambila once spoke Somyev, a related Mambiloid language, though this is nearly extinct.

References

  1. ↑ Nigerian Mambila at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Camerounian Mambila at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Nigeria Mambila". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
  3. ↑ Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Cameroon Mambila". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.